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Korean · Insults & Asymmetries

바보

babo

bah-BOH · /pa.bo/

Dummy / silly — the soft, safe, often affectionate 'idiot.'

1/5 Grandma-safe

mild, playful; fine on daytime TV

Literally

"fool"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

The idiot-word you can actually use. 바보 is what you call a child who put their shoes on the wrong feet, a friend who missed an obvious joke, or yourself ("나 진짜 바보야," I'm such an idiot). In couples it's practically an endearment — K-dramas run on a fond "바보야…" — and it's fully Grandma-safe. Escalations that stay friendly: 멍청이 (meongcheongi, dummy) and 등신 (deungsin — watch it, this one's roots are less innocent). If you only import one Korean insult into your own speech, make it this one.

Heard in the wild

바보야, 우산 거꾸로 들었잖아.

Silly, you're holding the umbrella upside down.

Where it lands

South Korea (universal)

Quick answers

What does "바보" mean?
In Korean, "바보" means "Dummy / silly — the soft, safe, often affectionate 'idiot.'". Literally it's "fool". The idiot-word you can actually use. 바보 is what you call a child who put their shoes on the wrong feet, a friend who missed an obvious joke, or yourself ("나 진짜 바보야," I'm such an idiot). In couples it's practically an endearment — K-dramas run on a fond "바보야…" — and it's fully Grandma-safe. Escalations that stay friendly: 멍청이 (meongcheongi, dummy) and 등신 (deungsin — watch it, this one's roots are less innocent). If you only import one Korean insult into your own speech, make it this one.
Is "바보" offensive?
It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
How do you pronounce "바보"?
Say it "bah-BOH" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: pa.bo.

Related in Korean

개새끼 gaesaekki geh-SEH-kkee Son of a bitch / bastard — a real insult with no soft reading. 새끼 saekki SEH-kkee Punk / little shit — literally a baby animal, and that's the insult. 놈 nom nohm Guy / bastard — the male half of Korean's asymmetric insult pair. 년 nyeon nyun Bitch — the female counterpart of 놈, and far, far harsher. 또라이 ttorai ttoh-RAH-ee Nutjob / psycho / total weirdo. 꼰대 kkondae KKOHN-deh Boomer-boss / condescending elder who pulls rank — 'back in MY day…'

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "You idiot".

how to say "You idiot" →

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